System of lubrication.



N0. 804,937. f PATENTBD NOV. 2l, 1905.

W. B. PEATHERSTONE.

SYSTEM OP LUBRIGATION.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 25,1902.

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Wawy( 75.27;

UNITEI) STATES WILLARD B. FEATHERSTONE,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SYSTEM OF LUBRICATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21,1905.

Application led October Z5, 1902. Serial No. 128,735.

To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD B. FEATHER- STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvernent in Systems of Lubrication,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a system of lubrication by which lubricant is automatically supplied under pressure to the wearing parts of an engine or other mechanism; and the object of my invention is to provide simple, inexpensive, and ecient means of utilizing elastic-iiuid pressure, more particularly the varying pressure produced by pumpsexplosive engines, &c. for the purpose by automatically collecting and retaining in the lubricant-reservoir from such sources elastic fiuid of sufficient density to exert an operative and substantially uniform pressure upon the lubricant and causing it to be evenly and forcibly delivered. y"

The object of my invention is accomplished as hereinafter described, and illustrated in the drawings, in which-- l Figure 1 is a'front elevation of a lubricator which is provided With multiple outlets and adapted for the use of oil as a lubricant.y Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the pressure-conduit and the reservoir. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line'XX through the-reservoir and the common feedoutlet therefrom. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through lthe pressure reducing and relief conduit as constructed in adetached form and which may be connected to a source of pressure and to any lubricant-reservoir by suitable pipe connections. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through an oil cup adapted to supply oil directly to the source of pressure.

In the drawings the reservoir 1 i-s preferably provided with glazed end closures 2,

which are suitably secured in the ends of the reservoir. The oil-outlet 3 extends from the bottom through the top of the reservoir and may be formed integral therewith and has a capacity to supply oil to one or more feedpipes 4. Above the reservoir the outlet 3 is provided with a valve-chamber 5, in the bottom of which a seat 6 is formed for a backseating check-valve 7, which may be suitably loaded by means of a spring 8, which is inl body of the casing.

of the valve and a terposed between the top the screw-plug 9, run in the top portion of the chamber for adjusting the spring-pressure upon the valve, and the top of the valvechamber is inclosed in a cap 10, tightly secured thereto by screw-threaded connections. From the valve-chamber 5 the outfiowing oil is delivered through a port lOinto a nipple 11,

having one of its ends connected to the port and the opposite end connected to a valvecasing 12. The valve-casing is provided with a nipple 13, having an outlet-port 14, which is controlled by a suitable valve, preferably a needle-valve 15, which is mounted in the The valve-casing 12 may be provided With lateral side outlets 16, and by connecting a plurality of valve-casings by means of nipples 17, as shown in Fig. 1, a

distributing-manifold may be formed for any.

desired number of feed-pipes, each of which is separately controlled by a valve 15. The feed-outlet nipple 13 of each valve-casing is exteriorly screw threaded for attaching a sight-feed 18 to the valve-casing, or the feedpipes 4 may be directly attached thereto by means of a union-coupling 19,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The reservoir 1 is provided near one end With a standard 20, which also extends from the bottom to a little above the top of the reservoir, and within the body of the standard there -is formed a pressure-duct 21, extending through the standard and successively enl iarged to form a valve-chamber 22 and a valvechamber 23 above the chamber 22 and with the bottom of the chambers arranged to seat the valves 24 and 25, respectively.. inserted into-said chambers.

From the Valve-chamber 22 a conduit 26 is suitably extended to open into the upper part of the reservoir. Valve 25 is loaded by a spring 27, which is interposed between the valve and plug 28, Which is threaded into the top of chamber 23 and is formed with a cavity 29 to receive the spring. The plug is provided with a stern 31 of suitable length having a central longitudinal port 31 therethrough, and to the free end of the'stem a wheel 32 is attached, or, if preferred, a removable key may be substituted for the wheel to run the plug into or out of the valve-chamber to compress the spring upon valve 25. The top of the standard is exteriorly threaded to receive a roo r athrottl'ing-valve A, controlling the supplypipe 35,v as shown in Fig. 4, whereby a lubri- -eatorA adapted for attachment to a source of low pressure-may be adjusted for use when at- `tached to a source of higher pressure. Such -adjustment,'however, is not necessary when exhaust-gas is utilized as a source of pressure and economy of pressure is unimportant.

Thus constructed and connected with a y source of elastic fluid under pressure, whether variable or steady, the operation is as follows: The valve 25 being weighted to open at a definite lower pressure than the highest pres- 4sure in the source and the check-valve 24 be- .ing adapted to be opened by any pressure in y excess'of the pressure in the reservoir and to admit,- through the duct 21, elastic fluid under pressure from the source into the valve-chamfber 22, valve 25 will prevent the escape of any part of the elastic fiuid through port 31 and direct it through the conduit 26 into the reservoir until the pressure therein slightly exceeds the resistance ofthe valve 25. The valve will then openand permit the escape of such excess :through the port 31 to the outer air. If the --pressure is steady in the source and exceeds the resistance of the valve 25, both valves will then remain open; but if Athe pressure in the source is variableor intermittent both will open and i `closewith the variations of pressure above 'y and below fthe pressure in the reservoir.

x either case, however, a-constant uniform pres- :sure will be retained inthe reservoir equal to -thefresistance of the valve 25. `theAspring-pressure Vupon the By adjusting valve 25 any .f' predetermined degree of pressure may be =-malnta1ned 1n the reservoir and exerted upon the oil to establish fiow through the outlet 3 by raising the `check-valve 7. Check-valve 7 is'weighted or adjustably spring-pressed to 1 prevent siphoning of the oil by gravity 'and is further adapted to prevent the return flow sure in anyiof the feed-pipes 4. Any or all of oil which might be produced by back pres- 'f'of'wthe separate .feed-pipes 4, but preferably thosel-feed-pipes equipped with sight-feeds A that` supply oil to a portion of a mechanism liable to create anintermittent back pressure 2in thefeed-pipes, may be each provided with a return check-valve 38, which is attached to `theffeed-.pipes in a suitable position. To reflieve the pressure in the reservoir and stop the'feed of oil within a reasonable time after Inl lubrication becomes unnecessary, I have provided a minute aperture 39, which is arranged to establish communication between the interior of the4 reservoir and the atmosphere. Vhile the mechanism is in motion and requiring lubrication, the leakage thus produced is constantly supplied by an excess of compressed elastic fluid conducted to the reservoir. When at rest the leakage soon reduces the pressure in the reservoir below that required to open the check-valve 7, which thenprovided a separate casingV 44, in which the restricting-duct 21a and the valve-chambers 22 and 23a are formed, and in the 'top of the chamber 23 is threaded a=piercedrplug 45 to adjust the 1 compression offl the spring 27a, which is inserted into thefchamber between the top ofthe valve 253 and the plug 45. 'The pressure-duct 26a is arranged in the :form ofl a port to which a conduit 46 is connected and arranged to open into the top of thereservoir. The plug 45 is provided with a'leak-port 31', and between the-conduit 46 and: thevalvechamber 23 is provided aiminuteavent-39, and the casing' 44 is connected to a source of pressure by a supply-pipe 35, u In :this modified form of =my invention the several parts kdesignated in the drawings by numerals -having the sign a added thereto have lik-e functions as parts designated by the. same numerals without the sign a in Figs. l, 2, and 3, and the operation is substantially thesame as hereinbefore described.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5 there is shown an=embodiment of myinvention in a single-feed lubricator 47,-V in Lwhich the central standard 48 is provided :with the outlet-chamber 5b, arranged underthevalve- `chamber 22 vand separated-therefrom by means of a plug49, which is also adapted to adjustably compress the-loading-spring Sbupon the check-valve 7b.. rlhe pressure-inlet duct 21b is arranged to one side in zthefbodyof' the standard and communicates with thefinlet 50 to valve-chamber 22u byA an intersecting lateral duct 51, which isformed above'the plug49. i

The other parts, comprising the chamber 23, the valves 24?:and 25h, the conduit26b,'the

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spring 27h, therplug 28h, having acavity-29b and a stem 31h, provided with aYleak-port 31', and the cap33b, are-substantially the same in construction, relation,` and function ISO as hereinbefore described for the parts designated in Figs. l, 2, and 3 by the same numer- Y als without the sign b attached.. From the valve-chamber 5b a duct 52 is extended to intersect with the outlet-port 53, which delivers oil into the body of a reducer-coupling 54, suitably attached to the bottom of the lubricator 47 and adapted to couple it to the cylinder or any other part of an air-pump, explosive-engine, or other mechanism which in its operation requires lubrication and is adapted to serve as a source of pulsating or variably-compressed elastic fluid. This form of lubricator, as is apparent, is only operative when attached to such source of pressure, as when attached to a source of uniform pressure the back pressure on the outlet of the oil-feed duct is constantly greater than the reduced pressure admitted into the reservoir. It is manifest, however, that by reason of the rapid alternation of high and low pressure in the source the uniform mean pressure maintained in the reservoir will produce 'a substantially constant oil-feed.- It is obvious also that the construction and operation of this form of vlubricator does not differ in principle from that of the other forms shown and described and that it differs from them only in combining the several pressure and oil ducts and their controlling-valves in one common standard within the reservoir and in its more limited application, its operation being in all other respects as described.

It is further obvious that when a lubricator of either of the forms shown in Figs. l and 4 lis attached to a source of elastic fluid under uniform pressure the check-valve 24 is not necessary to its operation; but by its use such lubricator is made available for use with either steady or variable pressure Without change or modification.

W hat I claim to be new is-- I. In a lubricating system for supplying lubricant under pressure, a reservoir for the lubricant having one or more feed-outlets, a conduit adapted to be connected with a source of elastic fluid under pressure, and having an open port to the atmosphere, a connection from the conduit to thereservor between the port and the source, a back check-valve in the conduit between the connection and the source, and an ad justably weighted reliefvalve in the conduit between the connection and the port, adapted to limit the exit of elastic fluid from the port.

2. In a lubricating system for supplying lubricant under pressure, areservoir for the lubricant having one or more feed-outlets, a conduit adapted to be connected with a source of elastic fluid under pressure, and having an open port to the atmosphere, a connection from the conduit to the reservoir between the port and the source, a back check-valve in the` conduit between the connection and the source, an ad justably-weighted relief-valve in the conduit between the connection and the port, adapted to limit the eXit of elastic fluid from the port, and a time-vent from the reservoir to the outer air.

3. In a lubricator system for supplying lubricant under pressure, a reservoir for the lubricant,having one or more feed-outlets,a conduit adapted to be connected with a source of elastic uid under pressure, an inlet-chamber having a port connected to the conduit and a connection to the reservoir, aback check-valve in the inlet-chamber controlling the port to the conduit, an outlet-chamber having a port connected to the inlet-chamber and an opening to the atmosphere,a relief-valve in the outletchamber adapted to normally close the port from the inlet-chamber to the outlet-chamber, and means to adjustably weight the valve in the outlet-chamber.

4. In a lubricating system, a reservoir for the lubricant having a distributing-chamber provided with one or more valve-controlled feed-outlets, an'ol-conduit connecting the reservoir with the distributing-chamber, a back check-valve controlling the oil-cond uit, a gasconduit adapted to be connected with a source of elastic iiuid under pressure, an inlet-chamber having a port connected to the gas-conduit and aconnection to the reservior, a back check-valve in the inlet-chamber controlling the port to the gas-conduit, an outlet-chamber having a port connected to the inlet-chamber and an opening to the atmosphere, and a relief-valve in the outlet-chamber adapted to normally close the port from the inlet to the outlet chamber, and means to' adjustablyV weight the valve in the outlet-chamber.

5. In a lubricating system, a reservoir for the lubricant havinga column extended therein and projecting above the reservoir, a Valvechamber in the projection and an oil-duct in the column connecting the valve-chamber with the reservoir, a back check-valve in the chamber adapted to control the oil-duct in the col- Iumn, means to adjustably weight the check- Valve, a manifold ported to the valve-chamber and having a plurality of valve-controlled feedpipes, a gas-conduit adapted to be connected with a source of elastic fluid under pressure, an inlet-chamber having a port connected to the conduit and a connection to the reservoir, a back check-valve in the inlet-cham ber controlling the port to the gas-conduit, an outlet-chamber having a port connected -to the inlet-chamber and an opening to the atmosphere, and a back-pressure valve in the outletchamber adapted to close the port from the` inlet-chamber,and means to adjustably weight the valve in the outlet-chamber.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of October, A. D. 1902.

WILLARI) BFEATHERSTONE.

Witnesses: f

ROY R. STUART, CHAs. A. BOAKE.

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